


i will not ask you where you came from

by philindas



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-14
Updated: 2016-06-14
Packaged: 2018-07-15 00:01:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,292
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7196933
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/philindas/pseuds/philindas
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Melinda May, in love with the head of the ATCU. Never woulda pegged you for the type," drawls Ward as he circles her, interest in his tone. She glares, fighting the ties around her wrists, holding in the wince at the stab wound in her side. “Is she as cold in bed as she seems?”</p>
            </blockquote>





	i will not ask you where you came from

**Author's Note:**

> I'm in so deep for this ship it is a Problem. An ask fic from the prompt "you don't have to stay". Title from Like Real People Do by Hozier.

"Melinda May, in love with the head of the ATCU. Never woulda pegged you for the type," drawls Ward as he circles her, interest in his tone. She glares, fighting the ties around her wrists, holding in the wince at the stab wound in her side. “Is she as cold in bed as she seems?”

She tries hard not to have a reaction, but hot anger spills from the top of her head to the tips of her toes, and the cruel laugh Ward gives to her struggle only heightens the rage; makes it burn hotter in her chest.

“Not such an ice queen after all, I see,” is all he can say, harsh and amused, lips twisted in an awful smirk.

“We’re coming, May,” comes Daisy’s urgent voice in her earpiece, and relief washes down her spine. “Just keep him talking- Hunter’s lining up a shot now, and Bobbi’s on her way to you.”

Melinda continues to fight against the ties, but there’s not as much power in her movements; it’s merely a distraction, and Ward’s lips curl further into a smirk that’s almost a snarl.

“What is it about women in power that draws them together, hm?” he asks, hands behind his back as he paces in front of her. “Was it a late night drink between the director of SHIELD and the head of the ATCU? Maybe it was the burgers from that place down the street from her house that did it? A few beers, talking too closely- what was it about Rosalind that broke your icy shell, Melinda? Do you mind if I call you that? Or is that for Rosalind only, now that Phil is dead and TAHITI is no more?”

When Melinda tugs at the ties this time, practically chomping at the gag in her mouth, it’s not for show. Mentions of Phil still tear at the gaping wound in her heart- it’s been nearly a year, but it still stings like salt, the mere mention of his name.

Ward opens his mouth, sure to say something else scathing when his facial expression freezes, and as he crumples to his knees, Melinda realizes Hunter’s shot him with an icer blast. He falls to the floor, frozen, and Bobbi enters the room with her gun drawn, checking for anyone else before she’s kneeling next to Melinda, undoing the ties.

“The stab wound on my left side is pretty deep, but other than that I’m fine,” Melinda tells her once the gag is pulled from her mouth, and she winces as Bobbi helps her stand. She leans on the tall blonde, limping out of the room and nodding to Hunter; the Brit gives a half-smirk at her approval before he goes back to securing Ward.

Rosalind is waiting outside, Banks at her side; she takes one look at a wounded Melinda and she’s striding towards her, taking her weight from Bobbi.

“I’ve got her, Agent Morse,” she tells the blonde, and Bobbi looks at Melinda a moment before nodding and heading back to the building to secure the other Hydra agents they’d captured. “That was stupid, and reckless, Director May.”

“We got him, didn’t we?” she asks, letting Rosalind help her sit on the back bumper of a nearby SUV, wincing as the dark-haired woman probed at her bleeding side.

“This is really deep, Melinda,” Rosalind said gently, letting worry soften her features as she looks up at Melinda, free hand coming up to cup her cheek gently. “Let me drive you to the hospital.”

Melinda shakes her head, sitting up and wincing again in pain. Rosalind reaches forward, helpless.

“Just take me back to the Playground. Lincoln can stitch me up. I have to file the paperwork and get in contact with Talbot. I have to be Director, Rosalind,” she says, and the ATCU head gives her a mild glare, frustration in her features.

“Fine. But I’m riding with you,” she says, and Melinda’s too tired and in too much pain to argue as she leans against the car until she’s settled in the passenger seat. Rosalind drives, irritation radiating off of her until Melinda reaches over to twine their fingers together, thumb brushing over the back of her gently.

They don’t talk during the drive, and Rosalind has to wait outside while Lincoln looks over Melinda’s injuries and stitches up the deep gash between her ribs.

“You’re really lucky, Director May,” he tells her as he wraps gauze around her midsection, looking up at her seriously. “He just missed hitting some major organs and arteries.”

“That was the point. He didn’t want to kill me- he just wanted it to hurt like a sonofabitch,” she comments, shrugging as she pulls her ruined shirt back down, frowning at the bloody, jagged hole in what had been one of her favorite blue blouses. “Thank you, Lincoln.”

“Do you want the pain pills?” he asks, and she shook her head, mouth twisting distastefully.

“They knock me out, and I have paperwork to do,” she replies, put takes the vial of them he gives her.

“It’ll hurt more when you’re laying down. If you want, you can just take them when you want to sleep,” he tells her as he sends her off with his signature. Rosalind is waiting for her by her office, and she closes the door behind them as Melinda starts to unbutton her shirt, wincing at the movement.

“Let me help,” she requests quietly, taking over the job of getting the small buttons out of their holes until the bloodstained fabric is fluttering to the floor, leaving Melinda in dark gray lace that Rosalind can’t help but touch, caresses soft. Together they get her into a fresh navy shirt, Rosalind doing the buttons up except the last two; Melinda rolls her eyes but her smile is soft, and she kisses the other woman in thanks before they part.

Melinda gets through three phone calls and half a stack of paperwork before the pain radiating from her side is so blinding she can barely see straight. Rosalind looks up from where she’d been scrolling through her phone at Melinda’s muffled gasp, and she’s on her feet at the spotting red blood oozing from Melinda’s wound, soaking her shirt.

“Come on, that’s enough. You need to rest,” the ATCU tells her, tone brokering no argument, and Melinda is so tired she doesn’t fight her. Rosalind helps her stand, grabbing the vial of pain pills before they walk together through the door to Melinda’s room. It still held remnants of Phil she couldn’t part with, and Rosalind doesn’t comment as they take off Melinda’s shirt, and she undoes the bloody dressing. “The stitches look pulled but not undone- I’ll wrap them in new gauze and hopefully you won’t pull on them anymore while you sleep, since you are absolutely taking some of those pain pills. It’s Oxy, the good stuff- your doctor doesn’t skimp.”

“Being allergic to hydros comes in handy every so often,” Melinda murmurs as Rosalind wraps fresh dressing around her midsection. She takes the two pills Rosalind gives her with a long drink of water before she tugs on an oversized, faded t-shirt and undoes her pants; she crawls under the sheets in just her panties and shirt, sighing at the coolness that covers her.

There’s some rustling and a pause before the bed dips beside her, and Rosalind hand tenderly touches her hip. Melinda’s fingers cover hers, and her words are a little slurred from exhaustion and the meds when she speaks. “You don’t have to stay.”

Rosalind shuffles closer, kissing her shoulder through her shirt and letting her muffled words float over Melinda as she drifts off.

“There’s nowhere I’d rather be, Mel.”


End file.
